Round 13 – Men’s & Women’s Premier Division Preview
Written by Michael Shillito
Just six weeks remain of our home and away season, and anticipation for the finals series to come is beginning to build. But the race for the finals, and positions within the finals, are heating up.
In Men’s Premier Division, with a gap of four games plus percentage separating fifth from sixth, our final five is almost mathematically locked in. North Shore, two games clear on top, are hot favourites for the minor premiership. Manly have a two-game break over third, and should be safe for the double-chance. But that all-important third place, avoiding sudden death in the first week of the finals, is a tight three-way contest between the Demons, Magpies and Students. Any clash between those teams will be of critical importance; and we have one this week.
In the Womens, there’s six teams in finals contention. East Coast are looking good for the minor premiership; and with second-placed Manly having the bye this week, the Wolves will have to pause before making a late run for top spot. Parramatta and Sydney Uni have a tight battle for the double-chance; while UTS and North Shore are fighting it out for the last spot in the finals.
And after this week, our Premier Division competitions take a week off to allow the cream of the crop to take part in the Rep matches in Tasmania on Saturday 20th. There’s no column next week. But then we’re full steam ahead for the run-home to the finals.
MENS PREMIER DIVISION
Sydney University Students v UTS Bats
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval, Saturday 1:00pm
Sydney Uni – 5th. Played 12, Won 8, Lost 4, 121.88%. Streak – W2
UTS – 7th. Played 12, Won 3, Lost 9, 71.09%. Streak – L1
Sydney Uni were looking a bit shaky a couple of weeks ago, but two wins on the trot has steadied the ship and left the Students comfortably inside the top five. This week the Students host UTS. Five games plus percentage outside the top five with six games remaining, a loss for the Bats makes it mathematically impossible to make the finals.
The Students strengthened their hold on a finals spot when they accounted for South-West Sydney by 39 points last week. It was tight and close in the first half, but five unanswered goals in the third term put the issue beyond doubt. William Gibbs helped himself to five goals, and along with Gus Lee and Noah Connick was among the Students’ best. The Students have the worst percentage of the three teams in contention for third, albeit not all that far behind the Magpies. In what is likely to be a close finals race, not just the win but a percentage booster is of critical importance.
UTS’s season hasn’t lived up to their hopes, and they’ve only won three games so far in 2024. Last week at Mike Kenny was their biggest loss of the season, when they went down to Pennant Hills by 109 points. Lewis McCormack, Ryley Walker and Josh Lee tried hard, but the Bats were outclassed by Pennant Hills on the day. But after a day like that, all you can do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again; and that’s what the Bats must do here. Last week was too bad to be true, but this is a new challenge, and a fresh start.
These two teams faced off at Waverley Oval on the opening day of the season, and on that occasion the Students prevailed by 50 points. Other than a three-game losing streak a few weeks ago, the Students haven’t put that much wrong; and if they play to their optimum ability, they should pick up the win again this time. But the Bats have nothing to lose if they put it all on the line in this contest. They have only saluted three times so far in 2024, but opportunities to add to that tally present themselves if they pile on the pressure and make the Students scrap for their possessions.
South-West Sydney Blues v Manly-Warringah Wolves
Rosedale Oval, Saturday 2:30pm
South-West Sydney – 6th. Played 12, Won 4, Lost 8, 77.68%. Streak – L2
Manly – 2nd. Played 12, Won 10, Lost 2, 183.17%. Streak – L1
South-West Sydney have taken on plenty of challenges in their debut season in Premier Division. But this challenge is one of the toughest our competition has to offer, as Manly make their way to Rosedale Oval for another special day of footy.
The competition newcomers’ hopes of a finals appearance in their debut season are all but over, as they were unable to keep up with Sydney Uni in the second half of last-week’s match. Bailey Stewart, Kay Gibbs and Cody Hamilton put in plenty of effort all the way through to the playing of the final siren. But it wasn’t enough to get the Blues the points. The Blues have shown plenty of fight this year and taken it up to some highly-fancied rivals, claiming a few scalps along the way. But making it to the finals looks to have been just too big an ask. But they have shown themselves to be competitive at this level.
Meanwhile Manly remain in second place, two games ahead of third-placed Pennant Hills. But the Wolves missed out on an opportunity to draw level with North Shore on top of the ladder when they went down to the Bombers by 35 points at Weldon Oval last Saturday. Despite the efforts of Lachlan Behagg, Tom O’Leary and Willem Smit, the Wolves were unable to get past the North Shore defence and post a winning score. But they remain well placed for this season and should still comfortably qualify for the double-chance from here.
These two sides met at Weldon Oval on the opening day of the season, and Manly dominated from start to finish to win by 130 points. There were lessons to be learned by the Blues, but they’ve learned well and shown plenty of improvement as the season has gone on. They won’t lose by that sort of margin this time. But Manly will be a hard opponent, and the Blues are going to have to pull out something special for this performance. It’s Manly on the rebound, and they’re sure to come out firing; and the Blues will need to defend resolutely to keep the Wolves from the door.
North Shore Bombers v East Coast Eagles
Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 2:50pm
North Shore – 1st. Played 12, Won 12, Lost 0, 235.14%. Streak – W12
East Coast – 10th. Played 12, Won 2, Lost 10, 51.40%. Streak – W1
Who is going to stop North Shore? The Bombers have been in imposing form this season and remain undefeated so far in 2024. It would take something special for the bottom-placed East Coast to knock them off, although the Eagles do come into this game with some winning form on the board.
So far this season the Bombers have had success every week and remain undefeated. Last week they hit Weldon Oval, and thanks to their rock-solid defence knocked off the Wolves by 35 points to establish a two-game break on top of the ladder. Sam Barkley, Ned Campbell and James Tidemann were unstoppable for the Bombers as they once again denied their opposition any opportunity to get back into the contest. The Bombers have done nearly everything right so far in 2024, and they won’t want to stop now.
Before the season started, if you’d told East Coast, who have been wooden spooners for the last two seasons, that they would beat the defending premiers twice in 2024, they’d believe they were on the way up the ladder. The second win over UNSW-ES came last Saturday at Kanebridge, when they came from well down at half time to get over the Bulldogs by 10 points. Harry Elbourne, Marshall Poynter and Zach Johns were pivotal to the Eagles’ success. But those two wins over the Bulldogs have been the Eagles’ only wins of this season to date and they remain on the bottom. They’ll need to claim another scalp to escape their third straight wooden spoon, and in 2024 scalps don’t come bigger than the Bombers.
When these teams met at Kanebridge in round 6, the Bombers dominated all the way to record an 83-point win. In a contest that sees first playing last, the Bombers will again be the hottest of favourites; and the Eagles are going to have to find something remarkable to turn that form around. But the Eagles are coming off a win, one that will see them approach this contest with much higher morale than in recent weeks; and they’ll be keen to contest every possession and put the Bombers under pressure. If they can catch the Bombers on a bad day and put the pressure on, stranger things have happened.
Pennant Hills Demons v Inner West Magpies
Mike Kenny Oval, Saturday 2:50pm
Pennant Hills – 3rd. Played 12, Won 8, Lost 4, 156.50%. Streak – W1
Inner West – 4th. Played 12, Won 8, Lost 4, 127.59%. Streak – W5
In the context of this season, and the race for the double-chance in the finals, this is a crunch game. Both teams are level on games, with the Demons having a superior percentage; while the Magpies sit in fourth, with only a narrow lead over Sydney Uni. And of those three teams, only one is likely to make the double-chance, while two will face sudden death in the finals. There’s potentially a big advantage that is riding on this game; and for those who can’t get to Mike Kenny for this, don’t forget to watch it unfold live on Streamer. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/3731 ]
The Demons boosted their percentage to maintain pole position in the double-chance race last week when they belted UTS by 109 points in a clinical display on a slow track at Mike Kenny Oval. Brandon Clark, Nick Eynaud and Mitch Blow led the way for the Demons as they put their three-game losing run behind them and turned on their best football of the season. It was a result that saw the Demons re-discover not only their best form but also their confidence, which will stand them in good stead for this contest.
Meanwhile the Magpies are having a mid-season run of success and have won their last five in a row. Last week on a heavy track at Picken Oval they got on top of St George early and completed a comfortable 25-point win. Ben Klemke led by example with a best-on-ground advantage, a lead that Nick McCormack and Jesse Manton followed well. This game will be a test for the Magpies, but with the form and confidence they’ve been displaying in recent weeks, it’s a test they’re ready to take on.
These sides met at Picken Oval on ANZAC Day, and on that occasion the Demons were far too strong and recorded a comfortable 49-point win. But that was before the Magpies started on their winning run that took them through an undefeated June. It’s going to be a tight three-way tussle for third place; and a win here is not only four points that the winner gets, but four points that the loser doesn’t. And the losing team here will need to hope the winner falls over in the last few weeks of the season.
St George Dragons v UNSW-ES Bulldogs
Mike Kenny Top Oval, Saturday 5:15pm
St George – 8th. Played 12, Won 3, Lost 9, 70.58%. Streak – L3
UNSW-ES – 9th. Played 12, Won 2, Lost 10, 64.55%. Streak – L1
The clash between the Dragons and the Bulldogs at MKO on Saturday will have no bearing on this year’s finals. But for both clubs, in a season where wins have been hard to come by, here is an opportunity for some respite from the pain of regular losses; a chance to sing the song and lift the spirits. But it’s a prize that only one team will claim. Everyone will be wanting to head south for this one; but if you can’t be there, the next best thing is to watch it live as it happens on Streamer. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/3713 ]
St George have had their share of trials and tribulations in 2024, and last week was another tough afternoon for the Dragons when they found themselves behind against the Magpies early and were unable to threaten the Magpies; although a stronger last quarter reduced the losing margin to 25 points. Lachlan Querzoll, Lachlan Cabor and Josh Nicholls worked hard against the odds, but it wasn’t enough to get the Dragons close enough to the Magpies to challenge. But every week is a new challenge, and this is one the Dragons will be keen to get stuck into.
The Bulldogs find themselves second from the bottom after going down to East Coast by 10 points at Kanebridge last week. It was looking good at half time when they held a 29-point advantage; but that lead disappeared in the third quarter and they were unable to regain the advantage in the final quarter, despite the tireless efforts of Max Rider, Sam Thorne and Toby Alker. It’s now mathematically impossible for the Bulldogs to get to the finals and the dream of a third straight premiership is over; so you can expect to see some young talent making its way into Premier Division as the Bulldogs look to the future.
These clubs played off at Blacktown in the rescheduled round 1 over the long weekend, and on that occasion the Dragons prevailed by 67 points. It’s been a difficult season for both clubs, and the wins haven’t come as often as they would have liked. But both teams will see this game as an opportunity to get a rare win and give them some comfort that they are on the right track for the future. But only one team can achieve this; and for the other, it’s just another chapter in a frustrating year.
WOMENS PREMIER DIVISION
Pennant Hills Demons v Parramatta Goannas
Mike Kenny Oval, Saturday 1:10pm
Pennant Hills – 8th. Played 10, Won 1, Lost 9, 30.27%. Streak – L4
Parramatta – 3rd. Played 10, Won 7, Lost 3, 200.53%. Streak – W1
Two teams facing contrasting fortunes go head to head at Mike Kenny Oval. The Demons are struggling, the Goannas are flying. But even the hottest of favourites have to turn up on the day and get the job done. And if you’re not able to make the trip up to Cherrybrook to take this match in, the next best thing is to tune your device to Streamer and watch it live as it happens. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/3730 ]
It’s been a challenging year for Pennant Hills, and the Demons have only celebrated the spoils of victory once so far this season. And last Saturday was a disappointing day, as they were outclassed by UTS and went down by 134 points. Sheridan Baker, Emmerson Squires and Natalie Pajor battled hard against the odds, but the Demons didn’t have the answers against the Bats juggernaut. Now they have another tough battle, taking on the star-studded Parramatta lineup. But every week is a fresh start, and the Demons will have to go into this with an attitude of relishing the challenge and taking it up to their highly-fancied opponents.
In contrast, Parramatta have had a stellar season to date, and the Goannas continued their impressive run of form at Blacktown last week when they held St George scoreless to record an 82-point win. There were plenty of Goannas players who displayed strong form on the day, with Brea Trevitt, Jenna Whitehead and Stephanie Wilkins the pick of them. Sitting in third place, with a percentage over 200, the Goannas just have to keep winning to ensure the double-chance; but with any game they lose, they allow the teams below them to have the chance to knock them off.
It was a closely-run contest when these teams met at Gipps Road in round 4, and on that occasion the Demons led at half time before the Goannas got on top in the second half to win by seven points. It was far from last week’s one-sided contests; and the Demons will know that if they can get back to the form they showed that day, they can be competitive against one of the competition heavyweights. The Goannas can’t afford to take the Demons lightly in this one.
North Shore Bombers v East Coast Eagles
Gore Hill Oval, Saturday 1:10pm
North Shore – 6th. Played 11, Won 6, Lost 5, 128.52%. Streak – L1
East Coast – 1st Played 11, Won 10, Lost 1, 284.79%. Streak – W8
East Coast have been an unstoppable force in Womens Premier Division in recent times, going for their third straight premiership. This time they find themselves heading to Gore Hill for a meeting with a North Shore side whose season is at the crossroads, with the Bombers needing to claim a big scalp to remain in finals contention.
Last week the Bombers came so close to claiming that scalp when they travelled to Weldon Oval and took the fight up to Manly; coming so close to snatching a draw at the death but fell an agonising five points short. Stephanie Krauel, Elle Carroll and Lucy Yates were superb for the Bombers as they made life difficult for the Wolves for much of the afternoon and showed that at their best they can be competitive against the best teams in the league. And they will need to show all of that and more this time around against another very highly rated opponent.
The Eagles have won their last eight in a row, and last week they overcame a slow start and goal-less first half to run all over UNSW-ES in the second to win by 46 points. Renee Tomkins, Jess Whelan and Michelle Foscarini were ball magnets all afternoon on a day when the Eagles once again showed themselves to be the team to beat. Even coming from behind wasn’t a problem for them last week; and the Bombers will need to put in a four-quarter effort to get past them this time.
When these sides played at Kanebridge in round 6, the Eagles dominated from start to finish to win by 57 points. It should be closer this time round, and the Bombers will need it to be. A loss here could see them fall further away from the top five and with time running out to get themselves back towards the finals. The Bombers will need to knock off one of the top teams if they’re going to get there; and on the synthetic at Gore Hill, this is their chance. But the Eagles have been very impressive again this season, and it won’t be an easy task.
St George Dragons v UNSW-ES Bulldogs
Gipps Road Oval, Saturday 10:30am
St George – 9th. Played 11, Won 0, Lost 11, 4.84%. Streak – L11
UNSW-ES – 7th. Played 11, Won 2, Lost 9, 60.99%. Streak – L3
Two teams desperate for success will go head to head at Gipps Road on Saturday morning when the Dragons meet the Bulldogs. This game won’t affect the finals in any way, but there’ll be plenty of desperation and a fierce match-up when these two teams who are desperate for a win will line up against each other. If you’re not able to get there, you can still follow the action as it happens on Streamer. [link – https://streamer.com.au/match/3712 ]
St George haven’t had the easiest start to their Premier Division existence this season, and the Dragons copped another heavy defeat last week when they were held scoreless by Parramatta and would go down by 82 points. Kaitlyn Eisenhuth, Rhiannon Burns and Jordan O’Neill worked hard, but the Dragons were unable to trouble the scorers on what was another tough afternoon. But now, against an opponent who also won’t be playing finals, this is a game the Dragons need to look at as an opportunity to finally break the drought and get their first four points on the board.
The Bulldogs have won twice this season, but last week at Kanebridge they had a shot at an unlikely third win when they led ladder leaders East Coast by 12 points at the long break. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs they weren’t able to go on with in the second half and were well beaten; but for a fleeting moment the boilover result looked possible. Amelia Martin, Ellie Veerhuis and Renee Scheffer were tireless in their efforts to put the Eagles under pressure; but they weren’t able to keep it going for the full four quarters. But that first half showed what the Bulldogs are becoming capable of.
When these sides met in the rescheduled round 1 over the June long weekend, the Bulldogs got the job done by 49 points. It was a highlight of the season to date for the Bulldogs, while the Dragons were left to lament a lost opportunity. It’s not easy to play out a season where the wins are rare and hard to get; but for one of these teams, the feeling of relief at getting four points and the singing of the song in the rooms afterwards will feel so good.
Sydney University Students v UTS Bats
Sydney Uni No 1 Oval, Saturday 3:20pm
Sydney Uni – 4th. Played 10, Won 7, Lost 3, 143.98%. Streak – W1
UTS – 5th. Played 11, Won 6, Lost 5, 176.77%. Streak – W1
Both these teams are in the top five at the moment, and battling it out for the double-chance. But neither team is secure yet, and this could be a crunch game so far as the make-up of the finals is concerned. The winner will be well placed, but the loser could find themselves in a spot of bother.
Sydney Uni go into this game refreshed after the bye last week, a chance to get over any niggles that may have held them back. Their last start was a comfortable 52-point win over St George the week before, spearheaded by big games from Kendra Blattman, Saskia Johnson and Amelia Causley-Todd. The week off saw them drop behind Parramatta on percentage, but they remain a game clear of UTS and North Shore with a game in hand. But it’s games like this one, when they’re up against teams close to them on the ladder, that will make or break the Students’ season from here; and the Students will be all too aware that they have to be ready for this challenge.
Meanwhile last week at Mike Kenny, the Bats re-entered the top five when they performed a 134-point demolition job over Pennant Hills. Goals were coming from everywhere, with Sophia Gaukrodger and Jessica Quade helping themselves to five goals each; with Quade joining Aoife Berry and Charlotte Owen among UTS’s best. This was a return to the form that got the Bats to last year’s Grand Final; and although they haven’t shown the same consistency so far this season, they’ve given themselves a chance to again be there at the business end of the season.
On the opening day of the season, the Bats completed a 39-point win over the Students. But form and ladder positions suggest if could be closer this time. The Students are a game ahead of the Bats, but UTS have a better percentage. A Sydney Uni win would draw the Students level on games with the top three, and also make qualifying for the double-chance difficult for the Bats; while a UTS win would keep them in the hunt and, depending on other results, give them a decent break over North Shore and strengthen their hold on a finals berth. Plenty at stake for both teams, and this should be a closely-fought contest.
